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Animating Maria
The Tribble sisters operate a "School for Manners" in London, specializing in turning out "difficult" girls so they can go out to society and make good matches. When they see Miss Maria Kendall, they wonder why she needs to come to them, as she is beautiful, well-mannered, and accomplished. But one look at her unbelievably vulgar mushroom parents, and they see why she needs their touch to make her acceptable to snobby London society.
Soon after Ma...Finessing Clarissa
The Honorable Clarissa Vevian is a tall woman, whose tiny and delicate mother has intimidated and forced her to appear even more clumsy and foolish by dressing her in fashions which are unflattering and too-small shoes. Despite these efforts on her mother's behalf, she failed to procure a husband in Bath and is sent to London for refinement and chaperonage by the Tribble sisters.
Along the way to London, her coach is held up by a young gentleman lo...Hasty Death
St. Martin's, Aug 2004, 22.95, 224 pp.
ISBN: 0312304536
It might be the dawn of a new century, but women remain the property of their father, brother, or husband. The chasm between the social classes is as large as it has ever been and the human females of Polite Society are expected to marry a rich titled gent. Lady Rose Summer, daughter of an earl, is not content to idly party, as she prefers to work. Her reluctant but suffering parents acce...Lessons in Love
Lady Lucinda has had to learn to live with her evil, corrupt father since her mother died in childbirth. She gets lessons on the ugly side of life from the doxies and brutes who stay over at their house.
At the age of 10, she gets kidnapped by a young Captain Mark Chamfrey, who was cheated out of his money by her father and who hopes to ransom her for payback. His plans go awry, they get caught, and Lucinda's father forces a betrothal on the horri...

Chesney booklist

Quadrille
Everyone knew that Lord Hubert Challenge only married plain little Mary Tyre for her money. But they had no idea that she had actually fallen in love with her indifferent husband. Mary decided to try anything to get her husband's attention. She dressed differently, changed her attitude, and even flirted with other men. Everything went fine until she learned that two can play that game!...Sick of Shadows
St. Martin's, April 2004, 22.95, 224 pp.
ISBN 0312329644
Her father is an earl so Lady Rose is firmly ensconced in polite society, a situation she abhors because women have no freedom and are passed from their father to their husband. Lady Rose circumvents the system by arranging a pretend engagement with Captain Harry Cathcart so her parents won't try to find suitors for her or send her to India for a husband. One night at a ball, Lady Rose me...Snobbery With Violence
St. Martin's, July 2003, 22.95, 224 pp.
ISBN031230451x
After being wounded while fighting in the Boer War, Captain Harry Cartwright, the youngest son of Baron Derrington, returns home to London. His only income is his army pension and a pittance from the family trust. Through a mutual friend, Harry is recommended to the Earl of Hoodshire to investigate Sir Geoffrey Blandon to see if he is suitable to marry his daughter Rose. Harry's investigat...The Love Match
Felicity Waverley was a champion of women's rights as well as the authoress of a shocking novel entitled The Love Match. Everyone knew that she thought marriage was equal to prison, but they didn't know how incredibly lonely she was. When the darkly handsome Marquess of Darkwater saw Felicity, he was intrigued. He offered to help her discover the truth of her past. While making discoveries that constantly placed their lives in danger, they fell in...Those Endearing Young Charms
Captain Peregrine Tracey was humiliated when the rich but common Ansteys rejected his suit for their eldest daughter Mary, but he never gave up hope that they would one day marry. After 10 years of serving in the military, Peregrine inherited the title of the Earl of Devenahm and was instantly acceptable to the Ansteys as a son-in-law.
Determined to erase the memory of his earlier humiliation, the new Earl immediately sets out for the Ansteys country...